Sun, 20 Sep 2009

Despite his lavish lifestyle, or maybe in spite of it, former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick lost his bid to cut restitution payments to the city. Claiming he no longer received advance payments that doubled his salary, Kilpatrick sought to reduce restitution from $6,000 to $3,000 per month.

The former mayor’s legacy is a patchwork of dysfunctionalism, from the Jayne-Laskey Family Fun Center to the Detroit Zoo. Both were places emblazoned with the former mayor’s name. But no more. Today, the zoo is run by the Detroit Zoological Society and the recreation center is closed for renovations.

Kilpatrick’s administration squandered countless opportunities. These included redevelopment deals at the base of the Belle Ilse bridge. And many others, no doubt.

Today, Kilpatrick lives in a million-dollar house in affluent Southlake, TX. He gets six-figure salary from Compuware subsidiary Covisint. On Thursday, the narcissist was a day late and $3,000 short with his restitution payment. Seems the >Michigan Court of Appeals said pay up anyway. They denied Kilpatrick’s motion reduce his payments “for lack of merit.”

Hard to claim poverty when you’re living in a million-dollar mansion. In a gated community. I’m thinking Detroiters aren’t feeling your pain, Kwame.

UPDATE Sept 23, 2009:

Wayne County prosecutor Kym Worthy filed a motion saying Kilpatrick has violated the terms of his probation. A court date’s been set for October 28th. The Detroit Free Press has the details and Worthy’s motion. And here’s a question: why isn’t Kwame using a lawyer with offices in Detroit?